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Here's a Rundown of Essential October Birding

Len Blumin bit.ly/2dl8AYe
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Blue Grosbeak

October, the season of asters and goldenrods, of sparrows and seabirds, is perhaps my favorite month in New England, and not just because I look better in pants than shorts. October is a time of many significant transitions in the bird world, and I’m going to try to cover as many of them as I can this week, so buckle your seat belts.

You’ve likely noticed that your hummingbirds have left, probably just after the middle of September. Our breeding Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are uncommon in Massachusetts after mid-September, and downright rare in October. Of course, as I sat down to write that sentence on October 6, I noticed a hummingbird at my butterfly bush here in Harwich, mocking my certitude by its very presence. It appeared to be just a straggling Ruby-throated. I was careful to note the plumage and behavior, and to attempt a photo, because the chance for a rare hummingbird skyrockets in October. Species like Rufous and Black-chinned Hummingbirds from the western US tend to stray to Cape Cod each fall and early winter, and are more likely the later it gets in the fall. For this reason I keep my feeders out and stock up on pineapple sage at the local nursery – this late-blooming annual is irresistible to stray hummingbirds.

Don’t believe the illogical claims that hummingbirds won’t know to migrate unless you take your feeders down – these birds respond to day length and ancient migratory urges. They don’t “forget” to fly south because there’s a little nectar left in your feeder and flowers are still blooming in your yard.

You may have also noticed massive, marauding flocks of Common Grackles recently. The other day I counted at least three thousand streaming though my neighborhood in a hurricane of wingbeats and squeaky calls. They moved through the oaks with bull-in-a-china-shop subtlety, knocking acorns to the ground as they went, while others walked the understory, flipping leaves in search of insects and their larvae. It’s hard to avoid the term “Hitchcockian” when you find yourself in the middle of one of these superflocks.

The birds under your feeders are also changing in October, as migrants like White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos appear, and our breeding Chipping Sparrows begin to head south. Watch for uncommon yard birds like White-crowned Sparrows and, later in the fall, Fox Sparrows scratching under your feeders with the more common species. Check the feeders themselves for Purple Finches and Pine Siskins, both of which are regular fall migrants from northern forests.

This is the prime time to get out and check your local community gardens and other open weedy areas with lots of ragweed, pokeweed, smartweed, foxtail grass, and other important wildlife food plants. The Harwich Community Gardens have been a good example of how attractive these places can be to uncommon October birds, regularly producing Dickcissels, Blue Grosbeaks, Bobolinks, and Clay-colored and Lincoln’s Sparrows. Classic October warblers like Nashville, Orange-crowned, Palm, Yellow-rumped, and Blackpoll can be found in weedy areas as well. Blackpolls are especially common right now, and are bursting with fat to fuel the nonstop flight they will make from Cape Cod to Brazil in the coming days. Sign up for one of the upcoming bird banding demonstrations at Wellfleet Bay sanctuary each Wednesday and Saturday to see these guys up close, and feel that fat for yourself. If you’re like me, it might make you feel better about what’s been accumulating around your mid-section.

Mark Faherty writes the Weekly Bird Report.